Come all ye maidens
of courage brave and true,
I'll tell you how to happy live
and avoid all trouble, too;
But if you live a single life
plain ye may understand,
Don't ye ever fall in love
with a good lookin' man.

When I was sixteen years of age,
a damsel in my prime,
I daily thought a wedded life
was happy all the time;
I daily thought a wedded life
would be my only plan,
I sobbed, I sighed, both day and night
to get a nice young man.

My wishes came, too soon
I got one Sunday afternoon,
As home from church I gaily walked
I met a fair gossoon;
He looked so fine about the face
to win him I made a plan,
That very day I set a trap
for my good lookin' man.

Again by chance as out I walked
to take a pleasant roam,
I met this handsome gentleman
who wished to see me home;
I feign said, "No," but it was no use,
to go with me was his plan,
And to my house I walked along
with my good lookin' man.

He said to me as on we walked,
"My dear and only love,
If with me you consent to wed
I'll never unconstant prove;
Sure, I would be a husband kind
and do the best I can."
My heart, my hand, I then did give
with my good lookin' man.

That night was fixed for us to wed
so happy I could cheer,
He gently pressed me to his breast,
saying, "Oh my Mary dear."
He gently pressed me to his breast
to the parson's house we ran,
And there I tied the dreadful knot
with my good lookin' man.

We were scarce one week married
one Sunday afternoon,
The day was gone, the night came on,
out went my honeymoon;
My gent walked out, and so did I,
to watch him was my plan,
And soon a flashing girl I saw
with my good lookin' man.

The clock was striking ten
when my gentleman walked in,
I gently said, "My Willie, dear,
where so long have you been?"
"I've been to church, my dear," he said,
and that I could not stand,
The rolling pin I then let fly
at my good lookin' man!

I blacked his eyes, I tore his hair,
in ribbons I tore his clothes,
I then took up the poker
and laid it across his nose;
He looked just like a chimney sweep
as out the door he ran,
And never a lady loved again
with my good lookin' man.

Ye married folks, take my advice
in high and low degree,
And if a husband you do get,
pitch in to him like me;
When I found out I was deceived
it was my only plan,
To spoil the handsome figure
of my good lookin' man.

####.... Variant of a 19th-century British broadside ballad, The Good Looking Man, written by John Morgan to the tune of: Nice Young Girl, and published by J Pitts (London) between 1819 and 1844, and archived at the Bodleian Library Broadside Ballads, shelfmark: Harding B 11(1368) ....####

Sung by George Wilson [1890-?] of Merasheen and Freshwater, NL, and published for the 1980 Merasheen Reunion in Placentia Bay, NL, by Loyola Pomroy and Bill Wilson.

A variant was collected by Kenneth Peacock in 1952 from Michael Aylward [1925-1989] of Kings Cove, NL, and published as My Good-Looking Man in Songs Of The Newfoundland Outports, Volume 1, pp.302-303, by The National Museum Of Canada (1965) Crown Copyrights Reserved.